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→2012
==Highlights of 2011–2019:==
==Highlights of 2011== This year was a very busy year for Epsilon Sigma. We started off the year with a very successful recruitment. In January 2011, we gladly welcome 36 new Kappas to our chapter. Two months later, half of our Chapter Council attended the Lambda Province meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was an extremely successful and mind opening experience for the officers that went. March was also a month for Sigma Chi Derby Days to benefit Children's Miracle Network. Kappa Kappa Gamma won the competition in 2011 and co-signed the donation check. April was a big month for Epsilon Sigma filled with initiation, philanthropy, and family. There were several ritual practices to ensure a wonderful initiation for the new members. Later that month, we co-hosted 'Tug for the Town' with Beta Theta Pi. Together, we raised $1,700 and split the donations between Reading is Fundamental and the Charlottesville Free Clinic. Tug for the Town was a major success with over 50 teams from both greek and non-greek student groups. Epsilon Sigma also hosted a Dad's weekend for the dads to come enjoy a weekend of quality time with their daughters. Wrapping up the academic year, we said our farewells to our graduating seniors and encouraged them to register as a Kappa alumna. Starting off a new school year, we jumped right into philanthropy! The chapter raised a total of $28,000 from two major events. Ten chapter members participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, 60 Mile walk for the cure in Washington DC. The next week, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma hosted an annual flag football tournament called Kappa Kickoff. The proceeds from the event were also donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The week between these two events, Brianne, a leadership consultant, visited our chapter. She was able to give us several tips of advice, which we are continuing to use into 2012. As the semester began to wrap up, Kappa elections took place. Elections went very smoothly and officer transitions took place throughout a period of two weeks between elections and exams. '''Campus:''' The Inter-Sorority Council made several changes to recruitment, bid day, hazing policies, and big sis week activities. The ISC made all of these changes to reinforce the safety of chapter members. Epsilon Sigma then reinforced these ideas with a positive nature so that the new members felt welcomed. '''Chapter:''' Our chapter has always brought together girls who enjoy spending time together and we have never had an issue with sisterhood. This year we worked to reinforce the other aspects of Kappa Kappa Gamma that are so important to our success as a chapter and as individuals. We worked to improve our relations at UVA and nationally with Kappas by improving communication and participation in many different areas. In addition, we completed much more in depth and challenging philanthropy events so that every member felt a responsibility to not only help each other but also help a much greater cause We have worked to show how important Kappa Kappa Gamma as a national sorority is and how it can be beneficial to each of us both now and in our futures. There were several Kappa Foundation presentations to encourage giving back to Kappa. In addition to all of this, the Chapter's academic standing improved from 12th to 2nd within the Inter-Sorority Council. The Greek System also has a higher GPA than the rest of the University community. For the past few years, Epsilon Sigma has been on focus letter. The Leadership Consultants in Fall 2010 and Fall 2011 gave us several points to consider for improvement. Since one of our biggest challenges was ritual, we made major strides to improve ritual by holding ritual practices. These practices helped us to more accurately perform the ceremonies around initiation and formal chapter. After the province meeting and LC visits, we learned that we were also handling the "Big/Little Sisters" incorrectly. In the past, the Big picked her Little on bid-morning. However, in the fall of 2011 the chapter decided to implement mutual selection. The final major challenge that the chapter had was trying to increase the motivation of the chapter. Over the past year, the internal morale of our chapter has dramatically improved. Among public relations, the province meeting, and the philanthropy presentation of the Kappa Foundation, our chapter has made considerable improvements. Our chapter has also gained a better understanding of Kappa on a national level. ==Highlights of 2012==
2012 was an extremely successful and busy year for Epsilon Sigma! Returning from winter break, the chapter fulfilled recruitment with a wonderful and positive attitude despite the tragedy of losing a 2009 Epsilon Sigma alum, Sydney Owens. Sydney’s death was hard on many current chapter members and alumna, yet Epsilon Sigma proved a support system for all.
As ever, Epsilon Sigma is a tight-knit sisterhood with bright, diverse, and spirited members. In tendency with the rest of the Greek community at UVa, which has a higher average GPA than the UVa-wide average, Epsilon Sigma has incredibly hardworking students. We have held our stance as one of the top average GPAs in the Greek community. Furthermore, Epsilon Sigma has benefited greatly from the diverse array of organizations that our members are involved with outside of the Greek community. In this manner, the Epsilon Sigma has a presence not only in the Greek sphere, but also the entire UVa and Charlottesville community.
Our increased dedication to philanthropies around grounds is evidence of this presence. Furthermore, members of Epsilon Sigma have been increasingly dedicated to our chapter and to Kappa nationally. Leadership on Chapter Council helped to solidify these bonds through information presented on Kappa nationals and the Kappa foundation to all members. The work of Epsilon Sigma to reach out to local alumna shows the outward view that Epsilon Sigma has taken concerning the benefits and abilities of Kappa. We hope to maintain our wonderful membership in the future that help benefit Epsilon Sigma, UVa, and Kappa. ==Highlights of 2013== Epsilon Sigma had an enjoyable, busy, and successful 2013! The chapter began the year with one of the best Recruitment attitudes to date. There was very positive and high morale throughout Epsilon Sigma as we welcomed 44 wonderful new members to the chapter. The first few weeks after Recruitment were filled with bonding activities for the new members within their own pledge class, as well as with the older pledge classes, and by the beginning of February, Bigs and Littles were assigned. Also in February, Kappa bumped up two spots from the previous semester and was ranked number six in G.P.A. in the Greek community. Additionally, two Kappa Kappa Gammas, Ina Browning and Taylor Luckey, were selected to live on the Lawn for the next school year, which is one of the highest honors awarded at the University of Virginia. Dance Marathon is the largest philanthropy at UVa and supports the UVa Children’s Hospital. Epsilon Sigma was proud to raise money for and support this great cause, and we were excited to have CeCe Conner represent us as DM’s marketing chair! Many other members were also very involved in the organization. Kathryn Gach, CeCe Conner, Coles Lawton, and Caroline Kay, Epsilon Sigma’s President, VP-O, VP-S, and Philanthropy Chairman, respectively, went to the Lambda Province meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. They found it really great to communicate with other chapters in our area, and they learned some new ideas to implement within Epsilon Sigma. In March, the chapter started “Kappa Compliments,” which encourages Kappa members to write private messages of Thanks to their sisters. The initiation of new members also occurred in March, and many Kappa alumnae came to support their granddaughters, daughters, and sisters that were being initiated. Tug for the Town, Kappa’s main spring philanthropy, took place on a beautiful April day. The tug-of-war competition was thrown in conjunction with Beta Theta Pi, and the chapter voted for the proceeds to support Casey Schulman’s scholarship foundation. Casey was a fourth year Alpha Phi and friend to many Kappas who died tragically in a boating accident in December of 2012. The chapter came together to support the mourning Epsilon Sigma members, as well as the sisters of Alpha Phi with home cooked meals and with letters of condolences. Also in April, Kappa voted to co-sponsor the Restoration Ball, an annual gala that raises money for the restoration of the University of Virginia’s most iconic landmark: the Rotunda. Epsilon Sigma was proud to have such a large part in this huge University event. As the semester wound down, Kappa very reluctantly said goodbye to, not only all of her wonderful graduates, but also to her wonderful house mom, Ms. Judy, who retired in May. Ms. Judy loved our house well, and we are so grateful for the years she spent with us. We threw her a going away party on the Rotunda steps, and all Epsilon Sigma members showed up with signs that read, “We love you, Ms. Judy!” Upon returning to Grounds in August, the whole chapter was welcoming and friendly to our new house mom! Though our spring semester GPA ranking usually goes down, we found out in September that we remained in great academic standing within the Greek community: 3rd out of 16 sororities and 6th out of 62 fraternities/sororities! Shelby Patterson, a 2nd year pledge class leader, was Epsilon Sigma’s representative at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Leadership Academy in Ohio. Shelby learned great new leadership tips at the conference, and she loved getting to know other Kappas from across the nation! Kappa Kickoff, the chapter’s fall philanthropy, happened in September. We added in Kappa Alpha Theta this year, which was a huge success, as we had to turn away members. As the leaves began to turn in October, Kappa was put on focus letter. The new improvements the chapter must make will help us to consolidate and streamline communication, among other things. Chapter council worked hard to make it a very positive experience instead of an unfortunate one. The chapter is still benefiting from the improvements the focus letter suggested. In November came Epsilon Sigma’s most anticipated event – Parent’s Formal! This year’s dance was held at the Boar’s Head Inn, and every one in attendance had a wonderful time dancing with dates and with dads! The chapter joined Sigma Chi to help feed families in the Charlottesville area for the Thanksgiving holidays. The chapter also had its very favorite sisterhood event, Kappa Thanksgiving, in which each family signs up to make and bring a delicious dish for all to enjoy. Fun, food, and fellowship were had by all! After elections, Epsilon Sigma welcomed Madison, our logistics coordinator, who helped the newly elected chapter council transition smoothly into their roles! One focus for our chapter is ritual, and Madison gave us great ideas for ways to improve. The semester ended with chilling temperatures and a grueling exam season, but the Kappa house stayed a warm and positive haven, filled with delicious and nutritious study snacks, for all. Describe the recent changes on your campus and describe the overall nature of your chapter.
The University of Virginia’s Inter-Sorority Council (ISC) made huge efforts this year to make the Greek community a safer, more well respected influence on Grounds. To do so, the ISC has worked to increase its positive presence within the UVa community, as well as within the Charlottesville community as a whole. One such example is Greek Carnival, a Saturday afternoon fall bazaar for the Charlottesville community. Several Kappas volunteered their time and efforts to make this celebration a success. The ISC has also made great efforts to get all chapter presidents on board for making certain well-known party nights safer and to make more chapter women prepared to go into these nights. Our former president and ISC-representative, Kathryn and Margaret, did an excellent job communicating the standards Kappa Kappa Gamma and the ISC expect, and the chapter did an excellent job upholding those standards. Margaret is now the chapter’s current president, and her experience with the ISC makes her well equipped to lead Epsilon Sigma, as presidents have done before her, with integrity and with grace.
The Greek community has a higher GPA than the UVa-wide average, and Epsilon Sigma consistently ranks among the top of this community in academics. What has made this chapter stand out, however, is the passion each member has for something outside of the Greek community. It in not unusual for a Kappa to not only be highly involved in another organization on Grounds, but to also promote that organization within the chapter. This encouraged participation in and passion for other clubs and philanthropies increases Kappa’s presence on Grounds and the Charlottesville community, and it helps to build well-rounded and highly motivated individuals that make both alums and present members of Epsilon Sigma proud.
==Highlights of 2020s:==
